Many structures, e.g. dams, locks, bridge abutments, dock pilings etc., are immersed in either fresh or salt water Replacement of such structures is very difficult and at times impossible due to economic and engineering considerations, yet many of these structures are unprotected from corrosion. In order to prolong the service life of such structures it is desirable to protect said structures from further corrosion. This approach is complicated by the fact that it is not feasible to dewater many of the structures. Therefore, there is a need for a corrosion protective coating which can be applied to steel and other substrates while the substrates are submerged in water. While there are epoxy resin-based underwater coatings which are easy to apply and exhibit good adhesion t said substrate, said coatings exhibit several drawbacks, e.g. tackiness of the coating surface due to incomplete cure, brittleness of the cured coatings and consequent lack of impact resistance, solubility of various elements of the coatings, and leachability of various agents.
The present invention provides a coating composition with the strong adhesion and ease of application associated with the known epoxy based coating compositions but which avoids the drawbacks associated with the known epoxy coating compositions.